Citation de Runi
Regardless of rhetoric claiming the frontier was to defend against Western aggression, the barriers were clearly intended to imprison East Germany’s population. They had no military value, were not intended as obstacles to any imagined NATO invasion, and were not designed to slow and canalize an attacking army. It was at this time that the frontier security regime (Grenzsicherungsregime) with a 5km-wide restricted zone was established along with a 500m-wide security zone, into which only authorized persons were allowed. In May and June 1952 several thousand ‘dangerous persons’ were relocated from the restricted zone during Action Vermin (Aktion Ungesiefer). The similar Action Cornflower (Aktion Kornblume) was executed in 1961 after the Berlin Wall was erected. Some 12,000 people were relocated in both operations.